


I'll Hold On to You

by tellthenight



Series: I'll Hold On to You [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, High School Student Castiel, High School Student Dean, Ice Skating, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-04-08 18:02:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4314972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tellthenight/pseuds/tellthenight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean teaches Castiel to ice skate so he can ask a very important question.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Hold On to You

Cas trailed behind Dean to the bench. Dean motioned for Cas to sit, then knelt down in front of him. Castiel took in the snow and the pond and the kids already out skating. Most of them were skating at least proficiently, but a few were flying around the outer edges of the ice.

 

Dean looked up from loosening the skate laces for Cas and offered a smile. “It’s a thing here, Cas. You gotta learn to do this.”

 

“It’s foolish.”

 

Dean laughed, but kept his eyes down on the skates. “It’s also fun. Put your foot in.”

 

Castiel looked unimpressed, but pulled his foot out of his snow boot and eased it into the skate. “The risk of fracture alone, Dean...”

 

Dean tucked Cas’s foot in, straightened the tongue and started lacing it back up. “You’re not going to change my mind. You moved to a cold state and we ice skate here.”

 

Castiel snorted. “You also have the worst summers I’ve ever experienced. Why does God hate Kansas so much?”

 

“You moved here at the beginning of one of the worst summers we’ve ever had and now you’re seeing one of the worst winters. Sorry about that.” Dean went to work on the second skate, lacing it up tight and when he finished he patted Cas’s leg firmly.

 

“There you go.” Dean plopped down next to Cas and started working on his own skates. “Everything feel good and tight?”

 

“I suppose?” Cas wasn’t really sure what it was supposed to feel like when you had skates on, but this was probably about right.

 

“So, when you get going, don’t lean forward. Kind of keep your weight back on your heels to keep your balance. If you lean too far forward you’ll probably fall.” Dean smirked. “You’ll probably fall anyway. Everyone does at first. Just be ready for that.”

 

“Dean, I don’t-”

 

“-And I don’t want to hear it, princess.” Dean stood in his skates and offered a hand to his friend.

 

Castiel took it and pulled himself up. It wasn’t hard to balance here in the snow, not like he thought it might be. He took Dean’s advice about staying on his heels as they walked on the blades the few steps toward the ice.

 

“So when you get on the ice you have to push off a little. And use the front to stop if you need to.” Dean demonstrated by putting the toe of one ice skate down into the snow. “I’ll hold on to you, okay?”

 

Castiel nodded and for the first time since they started this adventure Dean started to rethink it. Castiel looked genuinely nervous. Hopefully that would clear up after a few times around the pond.

 

Dean gripped Castiel’s arm. “One skate on the ice, then the other. Stay back on your heels, and I’ll help you keep your balance. We won’t skate anywhere until you feel balanced.”

 

Castiel nodded again, and this time took a giant wavering breath. Dean stepped onto the ice and then waited for Cas to join him. He stepped out, one skate at a time, and Dean held him firm just like he had promised.

 

“Now push off.” Dean urged gently. He waited until Cas made a motion with his skate before he pushed off himself, gently but faster than Cas. He pulled Cas along and Cas clung to Dean’s arm as he wobbled. “We’re not going fast,” Dean reminded him. “Are your skates still tight?”

 

“They’re fine.” Castiel grunted out from behind gritted teeth.

 

Dean fought the urge to laugh. They kept their snail’s pace, Dean skating and Castiel being essentially pulled along for the ride. “Look at my feet, Cas. The little pushes out? Do that with your skates.”

 

Castiel stared at Dean’s skates for a long while and then glanced up sharply as a gangly kid with dark hair skated by fast, laughing at them.

 

“Forget them. Kids are jerks. Try pushing with your skates.”

 

Castiel did, and he didn’t die or fall down. They were small pushes, but he felt like he could control them. By the time they had circled the pond once he felt a little more confident and he held Dean a little more loosely. Dean noticed, but didn’t comment. If he did Cas might retreat, and he wanted him to get confident enough to try on his own before they went home.

 

Another time around the pond and Cas breathed easier and they moved just a little faster.

 

“You think you can let go of me now and try? I’ll stay right by you.”

 

Castiel gulped at the idea but decided he should go for it. If elementary school kids could fly around the ice at crazy speeds, surely he could go around on his own. “Okay. I’ll try,” he said.

 

Dean stayed right next to Cas as promised and grinned at him. “You’re doing great, Cas.”

 

Cas smiled a little, but didn’t look up. He had to concentrate on his feet if he wasn’t going to fall.

 

“Try to relax some if you can. It makes it easier. Take a breath or something.”

 

Cas tried to obey, breathe, relax, but it just wasn’t in his nature. He focused on his feet, just trying to stay up.

 

He heard Dean yell and right as he looked up he felt something run into his shoulder from behind and he was down, hitting the ice with outstretched palms and then his shoulder and hip landing too.

 

“You little asshole!” Dean yelled as he knelt next to Cas. “Cas, are you okay? Did you hit your head?”

 

“No. Just- I think I hit everywhere else.” Castiel’s palms were burning and so was every other part of his body that had hit the ice so suddenly.

 

Dean helped him sit up and pulled off the gloves. Castiel’s hands were red, but not cut up thanks to the protection.

 

“You’ll be sore tomorrow. But hey! Nothing’s broken!” Dean’s smile rang false, but Castiel indulged him.

 

“I’d like to get off the ice though.”

 

“Right. Of course.” Dean stood and reached down for Cas, who gave him a ‘you’re fucking crazy’ kind of look. “I’m not going to be able to stand on this ice.”

 

“You will. Roll onto your knees,” Dean said. “Now take my hand and when you get up with your first foot dig the toe into the ice and I’ll help you balance while you get the other foot up…. there.”

 

Together they got Cas standing and clutching Dean’s arm deathly tight again.

 

“Hey.” Dean said softly. “Try to relax, remember?”

 

They pushed off and went with Castiel’s small shuffle, one skate then the other with Dean on the outside closest to the other skaters. They made it the rest of the way around the pond to the bench and Dean helped Castiel shuffle into the snow.

 

“You should skate some while I sit.”

 

“No, that’s okay. I’d rather sit with you, especially since you’re hurt.”

 

“I’m really fine. Go skate a little bit, okay? I’ll just rest a minute.”

 

Dean looked confused like he should know the right answer to this question. “Are you really sure?”

 

“Yes. Go.”

 

Dean looked to the ice, then at Cas. “I’ll just go around a few times, okay?”

 

“Go!”

 

Dean grinned and that was Castiel’s reward for insisting. He practically ran back onto the ice and joined the faster skaters going around the pond. He skated backwards and forwards, and caught Castiel’s eye each time he came around to the side of the pond where he could see him.

 

All summer long they had hung out together after an embarrassing introduction orchestrated by their mothers. But Castiel only lived two doors down and it was terribly convenient to have a friend just a few houses away. Castiel had assumed that once school started Dean would go back to his friends seeing as it was senior year, but he had seamlessly woven Castiel into his group of friends. That was how Dean worked, he realized. His small group of friends was a collection of people that would be involved in several different cliques if it were any other school, but here, the group was built around Dean, and he pulled in from all of his interest.

 

Dean skated back to the edge nearest Castiel and offered a hand. “Want to try one more time? I’ll hold you up.”

 

Castiel started to protest, but Dean looked desperate. He obviously loved being on the ice, and wanted Cas to love it too. Castiel decided to pull himself together and give it another try. If nothing else it was another acceptable reason to hold onto Dean.

 

Castiel shuffled through the little bit of snow to Dean’s hand and stepped gingerly onto the ice. Dean was true to his word and let Cas grip his arm tight.

 

Dean reminded him to relax and Cas was able to put a little more push into each skate so they were moving a little faster. Dean smiled over at him and Castiel’s cheeks burned. At least he could blame the flush on the cold weather.

 

“You’re doing really good, Cas. I’m glad you got up again after that fall.”

 

“If I’m going to learn to skate with you I’ve got to keep trying, right?” Cas offered a wry smile.

 

“Thanks.” Dean said softly. They moved in silence, listening to the younger skaters yell and tease each other, some whizzing by with great speed, others shuffling like Cas.

 

“Hey, Cas. There’s this thing at school coming up that I wanted to invite you to.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Prom?”

  
Castiel kept his eyes down on his skates. He had never heard Dean sound uncertain about anything in the several months he’d known him, but his voice shook mightily on that one word.

 

“Prom is three months away, Dean.” Castiel’s heart pounded and he swallowed. Focus on skating.

 

“I wanted to make sure you didn’t ask anyone else.” There he was. Back to that confident Dean swagger that carried him above everyone else.

 

Castiel caught the smile in Dean’s voice and smiled a little himself. “So you’re trying to ensure a prom date for yourself well in advance?”

 

“I thought maybe we could see each other a little before that too.”

 

“We see each other every day.”

 

“Cas, you know what I mean.” Dean’s voice was low and the waver had returned.

 

Castiel kept his eyes down. “I know. I… “ He let the words fade because he couldn’t say what was next. That he liked their friendship, that he wanted to keep that intact in this place where he was new and had no other friends. If they dated it might change everything and ultimately leave him alone…

 

“You’re killing me, Cas. Say something.”

 

Castiel clung a little tighter to Dean’s arm as one of his skates went a little wild, but he didn’t look up. “What would happen at school if we did that?”

 

“Prom? Nothing- I don’t think they’re allowed to kick us out or anything.”

 

“I mean if we dated before that.”

 

Dean smiled. “I don’t know for sure, but I think it would be okay. I mean some people will always be against it, but I’m not going to let someone else’s opinion keep me from doing something I want to do.”

 

“And you want to date me.”

 

“For a long time now, Cas.”

 

Castiel went quiet again and they had just passed the bench when Dean sighed and spoke up.

 

“Cas… Come on, man. If it’s no just say no. I get how hard it is to be out in front of some people. Hell, my dad is going to freak out on me if you say yes.”

 

Castiel looked over at Dean, to find Dean’s eyes on him. Dean looked serious and sad and his tongue darted out before he took another anxious breath and spoke again.

 

“But, when I think about not asking you right now, I feel sick- like I missed something big. Asking you is the right thing no matter what.”

 

“Dean, that’s... “ Cas didn’t want to take his eyes off Dean, but he had to. He had to sit and think before he could talk about this. He pointed to some rocks fairly close to the edge of the pond and pulled on Dean a little to steer there.

 

Cas sat with a puff and stared out into the ice. “I’d have to come out to my family,” he finally said.

 

“You don’t think they know?”

 

“It’s one of those things we don’t talk about so they can pretend I’m normal.”

 

Dean nodded. “Okay. I understand if you’re not ready to do that.”

 

Cas pushed past that comment. “And you’d have to come out to your family too.”

 

“I already thought about that. Mom and Sammy will be fine. I think my mom already suspects. Dad’ll yell, but mom will talk to him and it will be okay after a while.”

 

Dean kicked at the snow with one of his skates until dead grass showed up in a tiny patch. “I’m willing to do that. Shit, I’m probably going to do it either way just to get it out in the open.”

 

Castiel nodded. Dean’s family would understand and support him even if they didn’t really get it. Castiel knew enough about John Winchester to know that he might bellow loudly, but he loved his family with everything he had and that would always include Dean. Castiel’s parents, on the other hand- Castiel couldn’t even pretend to know what they would do. They overreacted to issues he thought were small, but let him slide on issues where he had imagined giant penalties. There was no predicting their reaction to news this big.

 

“I want to say yes, Dean.” Castiel finally said. “I just don’t know about my parents. I don’t know if they won’t care or if they’ll throw me out or yell or… I don’t know.”

 

“If they throw you out you come stay with me. You always have a place with me if you need one.” Dean ventured a glance at Castiel, and Castiel smiled in return.

 

“I want to say yes, Dean.”

 

Dean grinned. “So say it.” He offered his hand to Castiel, palm up.

 

Castiel stared at his hand for a moment, then looked up into Dean’s bright eyes.

  
“Yes,” he said, and curled his fingers in between Dean’s.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I greatly appreciate your comments. 
> 
> You can find more of my work at captainawesomeellie.tumblr.com


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